GOOD FOR NOTHING? NO ROOTS NO FRUITS??
By Wade Martin Hughes, Sr. Kyfingers@aol.com
UNDERSTANDING THE JOURNEY? Elijah lead Elisha from Gilgal (rolling stone), to Bethel (prayer, devotions), to Jericho (sweet fragrance, praise), to the Jordon (death to self). Each step of this journey had hidden lessons. Near the end of the journey the old preacher turned to the young preacher and asked a life changing question.
A DOUBLE [ORTION MIGHT REQUIRE A DOUBLE EFFORT.
TEXT:
2 Kings 2:9 And it came to pass, when they were gone over, that Elijah said unto Elisha, Ask what I shall do for thee, before I be taken away from thee. And Elisha said, I pray thee, let a double portion of thy spirit be upon me.
NCAA?
We are in March Madness, a term for college basketball. When certain teams play their fans drop whatever they are doing. The winning NCAA teams require several things, the fastest team, the tallest team the best team does not necessarily win. I was listening to a commentary about what was required to win. The man’s conclusion was clear, there are several issues to a winning team.
1. Whoever puts forth the biggest EFFORT. (practice, body, mind, energy, exertion).
2. The team that has the greatest HUNGER. (strong desire, craving, urgent)
3. A winning team MUST NEVER QUIT, NEVER GIVE UP. (Persistence, continue, correct, adapt, focused-fix, overcome obstacles)
4. The winning team will have to work together not just as individuals but a team.
HAVE YOU EVER HEARD ABOUT THE LADY THAT STANDS IN NEW YOUR HABOR?
We all know the lady holds in her hand a TORCH WITH A BRIGHT LIGHT… to show the way in truth, we need the light to show the way.
Psalm 119:105 Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.
The beautiful lady has a crown with 7 spikes on her head. (7 seas of the world, 7 continents)
SEEMS FEW NOTICE WHAT IS NEAR THE LADY’S FEET. At the STATUE OF LIBERTY’S FEET IS A CHAIN. The lady has been bound and limited, she has been hurt, imprisoned and limited… KNOW THIS THAT THE CHAIN THAT HAD HER BOUND IS BROKEN. She can escape all her bondages with the LIGHT IN HER HAND.
For some time I have had a thought burning in my heart: “THE BEST IS YET TO COME.” That thought has grown in my spirit person and I have weighed God’s plan.
The thought: the best is yet to come then grows into several questions:
“AM I GROWING?” Fruit producing?
Where am I now? Is this where I want to be?
How long have I been here? Do I desire to stay here?
Am I teachable? What am I learning? What am I teaching?
What could I accomplish if I exerted MORE EFFORT?
UNTIL: WE NEED SOME PEOPLE WITH A NEW ATTITUDE, THE DREAM IS SIMPLE. WE NEED TO STAY FOCUSED---WITH A FIXED HEART: A DIRTY DIAMOND IS STILL A DIAMOND.
I have never been in a diamond mine, but I have an opinion that seems logical to me…
I seriously doubt a man walking through the mine has diamonds jump out and sparkle, here I am in a bed of gold.
Someone has to love the diamonds enough to break hard rocks and dig in cold damp mud UNTIL…
A DIRTY DIAMOND HIDING IN THE ROUGH IS STILL A DIAMOND… few recognize the potential.
WE NEED LEADERS TO VAULE DIRTY DIAMONDS… POLISH THEM UNTIL…
No sadder words of pen or tongue than the words, WHAT MIGHT HAVE BEEN? We must learn to dream and stay focused with a fixed mind. God has a plan. This journey may seem twisted. But God can!
WHAT KIND OF FRUIT AM I PRODUCING? FRUIT:
Fruit will normally start as a bloom, (as a bloom so goes the fruit.) I had a friend, Bob Anderson. He taught me, to grow good fruit you must knock some of the many blooms, too many blooms will limit the size of growth. You must prune the limbs. It is not how tall the tree is.
I was in an apple orchard, there were 5000 yellow apple trees, 5000 red apple trees. The farmer had a contract with a grocery chain to provide the stores with apples. I was disappointed with how small the trees were. The farmer told me the focus was on the fruit, not the size of the trees.
Fruit: The effect or consequences of action, seed bearing-life producing, something that grows and develops, life producing ---seed.
Can we see the seeds of our actions, like the fruit of your faithfulness will produce fruit?
GOOD FOR NOTHING… ARE WE SO GOOD AT WHAT WE DO AND THE PROGRAM THAT WE HAVE THAT WE BECOME GOOD FOR NOTHING.
My dad taught me: Seems we learn more and more about less and less until finally we know everything about nothing.
Matthew 5:13 Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men.
When I was young the champs won the trophy. Now days everyone wins a trophy. The ones that never invest effort and practice win a bright shiny trophy. We have cheapened the meaning of effort. No failures here? We have lovely trees that produce NO FRUIT. No roots, no fruits.
THERE ARE TWO KINDS OF TREES, FRUIT TREES OR FIRE WOOD TREES? WHICH ARE YOU?
Matthew 3:10 And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees: therefore every tree which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.
My dad tells the story of my grandfather planting a cherry tree in the front yard. The tree grew and grew. It made a good shade tree. Grandfather was sitting on the porch and jumped up and got an axe and started chopping the cherry tree down. Grandmother asked, why are you doing that? That is a good shade tree. Grandfather answered. I never planted that tree for shade. I planted it for cherries. The tree had never produced one cherry.
God has every right to expect us to bear fruit!
WHAT DOES FRUIT MEAN?
The Hebrews divided fruit into several classes.
The fruit of the field. (grain, pulse)
The fruit of the vine. (grapes, moist or dry)
The fruit of the orchard. (dates, figs, etc)
The fruit of womb. (offspring
There are 9 fruit of the Spirit. (love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance)
Are we producing the spiritual fruit that God values?
We hear this line often: I JUST WANT TO BE HAPPY!
I DESERVE TO BE HAPPY? Have you ever evaluated your choices? What kind of fruit are your choices bringing?
WE TEND TO FOCUS ON PRETTY TREES AND THE COMFORT ZONE OF THE SHADE. MAYBE WE HAVE MISSED GOD’S VALUE SYSTEM. COULD I BE MORE FOCUSED ON THE TEMPORAL THAN THE ETERNAL? WHAT ARE MY PRIORITIES?
WHAT IS IMPORTANT TO ME?
2 Corinthians 4:18 While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.
What brings real joy and peace?
THE APPLE TREE MAY SAY I AM A CHERRY TREE, BUT THE FRUIT WILL TELL?
Luke 6:44 (KJV) For every tree is known by his own fruit. For of thorns men do not gather figs, nor of a bramble bush gather they grapes.
SICKLY OAKS FROM SICKLY ACORNS GROW.
Luke 6:44 (MSG) The health of the apple tells the health of the tree. You must begin with your own life-giving lives.
I FIND THERE ARE DEGREES IN FRUIT BEARING? JOHN HAD A LESSON ABOUT THE FRUIT AND THE VINE.
WHAT DEGREE DO I CARRY IN FRUIT BEARING? WHAT DO I HAVE?
John 15:2 Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit.
John 15:5 I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.
*1. NO FRUIT
*2. FRUIT
*3. MORE FRUIT
*4. MUCH FRUIT
GOD LOVES THOSE DIAMOND HUNTERS THAT WILL TRY AGAIN. IF AT FIRST YOU DON’T SUCCEED, TRY, TRY AGAIN.
Luke 13:7 Then said he unto the dresser of his vineyard, Behold, these three years I come seeking fruit on this fig tree, and find none: cut it down; why cumbereth it the ground? 8 And he answering said unto him, Lord, let it alone this year also, till I shall dig about it, and dung it: 9 And if it bear fruit, well: and if not, then after that thou shalt cut it down.
Never give up! Never give in! Never quit!
Paul told Archippus: Archippus make sure you finish what you have been called of God to do.
Conclusion: We need an honest evaluation of the fruit we are producing? Are we growing no fruit? There is an axe waiting to cut down the non-producing trees. We can not be hungry today and plant an apple seed to get fruit today.
We must have foresight to know, it many take years of waiting and patience to accomplish the fruit God desires. What seed are you planting today? Will our families starve to death because we are “GOOD FOR NOTHING” and we invested in the pot of gold at the end of the rain bow? A DOUBLE PORTION MIGHT REQUIRE DOUBLE EFFORT?
His servant, Wade Martin Hughes, Sr. Kyfingers@aol.com
